What is your "EASY" distance?

Once upon a time, there was NO easy distance for me. But then I really started running. Now my "easy" distance is five miles.

What do I mean by "easy" distance? Meaning when you see that distance on the training calendar you think, "Oh, no problem." You get done with your run or off the treadmill and you could have kept going. This week I will find out if my easy distance is really five miles or is it really six miles. As my average distance this week is six.

Why this post? I was lamenting over the weekend on FB about wanting to finally get to the place where 13 miles is easy. One of my girlfriends told me that 13 miles will NEVER be "easy." She obviously doesn't run and has no running friends. When you have friends that regularly run Ultras, you know that easy is relative and everyone has their own distance. What's yours?

Probably 12. It is my favorite distance to knock out in a streak of days just for fun. It seems far enough in my out & back that I went somewhere but not far enough that I wish I had eaten more before I left the house(I eat a banana & PB every morning before heading out) and that I don't need to take water with me. It feels good but doesn't require a rest day or impact anything else fitness wise that I might want to do later.

But it took me 4 years to get here though too. I used to think 1 mile would never be easy!!! It is all relative. I put a lot of miles and time and early mornings into making 12 seem easy. If it is important to you, you will. Honestly, the only reason I am in double digits now is so I can get into ultras. If I was just doing this for fun & not events, I would be more than fine with 7 miles(or an hour, basically) a day being easy. I like it sure, but is like sleep too(which I am giving up by running more miles).

I think for me my easy distance would be anywhere in the range of 4-6 miles. I really enjoy this distance and usually can zone out and just dance along with my music as I go. I know the passing cars usually look at me like I'm a bit odd. LOL. I also enjoy a nice 10 miler! But if I had to choose I'd say 4-6.

I agree: 4-6 miles is my happy, easy run that still feels like I accomplished something.

And I totally understand what you mean about your friends not understanding! The other week I was telling my boyfriend about how proud of myself I was that I have been able to cut back to only 5 or 6 days of running per week and start doing some strength training the other days instead. He just laughed and pointed out that "Only" 5-6 days per week sounds pretty insane to almost everyone else in the world.

For weekly mileage, anything between 5-7 is "easy." For a long run, anything under 18 was easy for me when I ran my 50 miler at the beginning of March. I cut back on my mileage for various reasons the last two months and right now I'd say 13 is "easy" for me as a long run at this point.

It took me about 3 years to get to the point where 7-8 miles would be considered easy and enjoyable. But since I moved to a hot and humid climate (year round) about 8 months ago, I now consider 2-3 miles easy in hot weather. I look forward to the day when I can build it back up to 7-8 miles. Move back home (and back to cooler weather) in 3 months! Yay!

4-6. Easy peasy in (almost) any kind of weather, and I'm done in under an hour. Over an hour and I start to feel like I'm cutting into "family" time, and this is a "big" workout. Of course, when I get home, I find that no one missed me at all and I could have stayed out longer. Mileage over 8 starts to be physically not-easy though.

4-6. Easy peasy in (almost) any kind of weather, and I'm done in under an hour. Over an hour and I start to feel like I'm cutting into "family" time, and this is a "big" workout. Of course, when I get home, I find that no one missed me at all and I could have stayed out longer. Mileage over 8 starts to be physically not-easy though.

^^ Yes. Do your kids throw a fit when you're leaving like it's the end of the world too?!?

I'd say 4-6 is about it for me too. I regularly do longer than that, but I can fit that run into almost any schedule (including running at lunch or on a TM if necessary), and I don't have to feel particularly good/have eaten particularly well or at all, etc.

4-6. Easy peasy in (almost) any kind of weather, and I'm done in under an hour. Over an hour and I start to feel like I'm cutting into "family" time, and this is a "big" workout. Of course, when I get home, I find that no one missed me at all and I could have stayed out longer. Mileage over 8 starts to be physically not-easy though.

^^ Yes. Do your kids throw a fit when you're leaving like it's the end of the world too?!?

Haha, my kids do that too. The first thing they ask when they see me in running clothes is if I am running downstairs on the treadmill. Then they get upset if I am running outside. I just invite them along and say it is "only" 5 miles.

4-6. Easy peasy in (almost) any kind of weather, and I'm done in under an hour. Over an hour and I start to feel like I'm cutting into "family" time, and this is a "big" workout. Of course, when I get home, I find that no one missed me at all and I could have stayed out longer. Mileage over 8 starts to be physically not-easy though.

^^ Yes. Do your kids throw a fit when you're leaving like it's the end of the world too?!?

She used to, years ago. Now she's almost 10, and I get more of a "see 'ya" wave, if she looks up from her book/video game/craft project at all. Mentally, I'm still back when she was 6 and wanted me to sit and read to her or play games. I'm maturing more slowly than she is, I guess. And DH doesn't really care if I'm out longer, since DD is so independent, he can do his own thing while I'm gone too (as long as it's in/around the house).

If you mean easy in the sense that I do not find it long, I'd say anything under 8-9 miles. After that, I can still find it easy to run in a physical sense, even up to 20 miles, but I find it time consuming and hard mentally. I regularly run 15 miles on Wednesdays, when marathon training, and I have to do it after work, before making supper. It's not "hard", it's just long, like a little over 2 hours. I'm always thinking about all the things I have to do later, after the run is done. I do not find it relaxing. If it's the weekend however, it's a little easier.

4-6. Easy peasy in (almost) any kind of weather, and I'm done in under an hour. Over an hour and I start to feel like I'm cutting into "family" time, and this is a "big" workout. Of course, when I get home, I find that no one missed me at all and I could have stayed out longer. Mileage over 8 starts to be physically not-easy though.

^^ Yes. Do your kids throw a fit when you're leaving like it's the end of the world too?!?

Haha, my kids do that too. The first thing they ask when they see me in running clothes is if I am running downstairs on the treadmill. Then they get upset if I am running outside. I just invite them along and say it is "only" 5 miles.

I could have written that same exact post!! My daughter just turned 7 and she wants to start running with me outside very soon. It should be interesting to see how long she lasts...

Rarely do I run under 4 miles (seems a waste to get all sweaty and nasty for less than 4).

I like anything between 5-6. That's a standard run for me and considered routine.

I was pretty excited yesterday: I didn't pay attention to how far I was going and I ran 7 miles instead of 5--but it felt like an easy 5. I really hope that wasn't just a fluke for me. I would love for 7-9 to be easy, "routine" runs for me

4-6. Easy peasy in (almost) any kind of weather, and I'm done in under an hour. Over an hour and I start to feel like I'm cutting into "family" time, and this is a "big" workout. Of course, when I get home, I find that no one missed me at all and I could have stayed out longer. Mileage over 8 starts to be physically not-easy though.

^^ Yes. Do your kids throw a fit when you're leaving like it's the end of the world too?!?

Haha, my kids do that too. The first thing they ask when they see me in running clothes is if I am running downstairs on the treadmill. Then they get upset if I am running outside. I just invite them along and say it is "only" 5 miles.

I could have written that same exact post!! My daughter just turned 7 and she wants to start running with me outside very soon. It should be interesting to see how long she lasts...

Haha! Mine are the same. My oldest wants to run with me, and I think this summer we are going to start setting aside some time for he and I to run. My middle one though, gives me the 3rd degree everytime. "Where are you going?" What are you doing?" "I want to go". I usually leave before they wake up to avoid this, but on days I run later because hubby is home, we tell the middle one I am going for runs with other mommies and no other kids are going. I do what works to get out the door with minimal melt down.

I edited this because I realized I didn't answer the question! I'd say 3-4 miles is easy for me right now, but I'm working on increasing my miles per run and overall mileage. I did a 5 mile and a 6 miler last week and felt great doing it, but definitely felt it the next day. Before having my last baby, my easy run was 5 miles. I'd do a local trail a few times a week (5 miles) then my long run. Hoping to get back to that point this summer.

easy for me is anything under 15 if in the mountains (where my pace is slower) and anything less than 10 if on the valley floor, as my pace is alot quicker.I define easy as having energy left after to chat, do laundry,and other house chores happily. as opposed to just getting home and only wanting to eat, shower and bed. but as far as looking at the mileage on my planner and thinking "no problem" as you said, then anything under 30miles. once I get up to do over 30, i need a plan and a pack and a headlamp and might turn back early. ive only quit on 30s for snow depth/storms arriving though. i rarely dont finish, but, most of my runs are out n back or big loops, so once you get halfway, well, you still have to get back. and in the mountains here, nothing gets you back but your feet. so, once you go Out 10 miles, well, yer pretty much commited to do 20, unless yer sleeping in the woods or calling SAR. or get luck and run into a mule packer to carry you.

It is better to live one day as a lion, than a hundred years as a lamb

I agree with RandomRun, speedwork for me is never easy. In the last two weeks, it was 8 x 800 and 4 x 1000. That doesn't seem like a lot, but the effort really drained me. Long weekend runs are something else. My favorite route is 10k and it goes through some farms, open fields, and a view of the sea. If I take it slow (about 9 min/mile) then it is easy. If I am at 9:30/mile, I feel like I can run forever.

Yeah, I think the 4-6 miles is my "easy" mileage window. I learned this weekend that 5k's may not really be my thing. I think because I have to go out too fast and push it to make a good time (in my mind) whereas running between 4-6 I can keep a good easy pace and not feel like I have to prove anything.. I know it's all mind games.

Depends on where I am in my training. By the time I am almost to a marathon, 13 does feel easy. If I am just running to maintain durning the winter or whatever, my easy runs are 6 miles and my long runs are 10-12 miles. I haven't done ultra's but I know those people would likely eventually think 26.2 is an easy run. It's all about where you are at that point. My non-running friends do spit takes when I tell them I've done a 9 miler that morning. What I find weird is that 3 miles was my goal when I started running years ago, and now that barely even seems like it is worth the trouble.

Depends where I am in training and what's been going on in my life - last week I had two LONG back to back days at work that were over 12 hours and started at 4:30am and the 4-6 to get to and from was a struggle. This morning I did 13 on my way to work and could have kept going...

I've been running a while, and done 5 half marathons and I kept wondering during the training when the 10 mile runs would get easier. They are always challenging for me. But I came to the conclusion based on my favorite quote from "League of Our Own", "If it was easy, everyone would do it. It's the hard that makes it great." So now I don't mind the hard runs. But my easy run is probably 4-5 miles.

For me, 6-7. 5 is what I do for tapering, so that seems easier than easy. My easy long run distance is 10. I would like to someday up that to 14, but so far anything over 10 feels like a significant long run to me.

I find that, the longer that I plan to run, the more enjoyable it is. So if I'm running 10 miles (especially when the sun is setting), I may very well have the time of my life. It's not very often that I go that far, though. When I'm sticking to lower mileage, I prefer my 6 mile runs. Now 4 miles for me can be terribly difficult. It's probably because I tend not to relax as much when I know I'm not going very far. Plus, when I'm doing a 10-miler, I usually leave the streets, so I don't feel pressured to run as fast.